Regulator for dynamo-electric machines.



V. G. APPLE.

REGULATOR FOR DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 0012, 1911.

1,062,380. l l Patented May 20,1913;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

VINCENT G". APPLE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE APPLE ELEC'IRIC COMPANY,

` OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. I

REGULATOR FOR DYNAMIC-ELECTRIC MACHINES.

Application filed October 2,

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, VINCENT G. APPLE, a citizen of the United St-ates,'residing'at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, 4have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulators for Dynamo-Electric Machines, 'of which the following is a specification,

My invention relates to improvements in regulators for dynamo electric machines, and has for one of its objects to provide a regulator that will automatically maintain substantially constant the difference of po-' tential between the terminals of a dynamoelectric machine, irrespective of the varying changes of load or speed, or both load and speed, of the machine.

Another object of my invention is to provide a circuit controlling switch in associat-ion with said regulator and said dynamo, by which. the circuit. is frequently interrupted and wherein a revolving contact member of said switch, rotated by t-he dynamo, presents constantly changing surfaces for the other member of said switch, thereby to insure infallibility of operation by preventing sticking or freezing of the switch members.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a power-transmitting means whereby the speed of the dynamo is ygreatly re-r duced in the motion imparted thereby to# p said rotated terminal, and whereby the di mensions of said transmitting means is reduced to a minimum.

@ther and further objects of my invent-ion will be readily understood by persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a broken away portion of a dynamo showing the switch and power transmitting means therefor; Fig. 2 is a central section of the driving or speed reducing means, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 8-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the circuit controlling electro-magnet, cooperating with the rotating switch element; Fig. 5 is a diagram of circuits embodied in my regulator. In all of the views the same reference characters indicate similar parts.

Dynamo electric machines, of the shunt type, that produce substantially constant difference of-potential when driven at sub- Specication of Letters Patent.vv

1911. serial No. 652,381.

stantially constant speed will not maintain that constancy of potential when the speed at which they are driven is caused to vary and thus when generators of this type are driven by a source of power, such as an engine' that affords the propelling power for an automobile, or from the axle of a train, operated at varying speed, it becomes necessary to provide an eXtraneousmeans to regulate the dynamo when constancy of potential is required, as when said dynamo is employed to furnish current for constant Patented May 2o, 1913. if

potential lamps, or for charging storage' batteries, or the like, when placed in parallel circuit.

In carrying my invention into effect it becomes necessary to open and close an electric circuit, associated with the field windings quite frequently, and to prevent failure of operation I cause one of the contacts, where the circuit is so closed and opened, to be revolved thereby to present new surfaces to the vibrating contact at each period of its movement, and for conveniencel of structure I provide a speed reducing means whereby ypower for revolving said contact at a relatively low velocity may be taken from the dynamo with which theregulator is associated, although it is obvious that any other available driving means maybe emloyed.

I will first describe the circuits whereby the regulation is accomplished, and then I will describe specifically the apparatus which may be employed in connection 'therewith.

y The dynamo electric machine armature is represented by 10 provided with a -I- brush y1l and a brush 12, connected to mains 13 and 14 respectively. Between these mains lamps 15, and other translating devices, such as storage batteries and the like may be con- .j

nected..

16 is the shunt jield windings vof the dynamo, connected by wire 17 to the main 13 and by wire 18 to a point 19, A wire 20 extends to the Arevolving contact 21.

M is an electro-magnet having windings 22 and 23 and core 24. It will be observed that the windingsare in the same direction. The terminal-25 is connected by wire`26 to the main 13, as at 27. Apivoted armature 28 confronts the end of the magnet 24. y It is normally held against the revoluble contact v ture 28 is connected to wire 38.

maining portion 30 of the field resistancey 21 bythe spring 29. rllhe contact 21 and armature 28 normally short circuit the field resistance coil 30. When the circuit is open between these two point-s, current will pass from wire 20 over wire 31, through resistance coil 30 to point 32 through adjustable resistance 33, that is controlled by arm 34,

and thence 'by wire 35to'ithe terminal 36 of the magnet coil 23, and thence by wire 37 to main 14, by wire 38, as at 39. Arma- 'lhe re- 30 is connected to wire38 by wire 40, as at 41. The adjustable resistance 33 may be set `to change the critical voltage at which the system is to be maintained.

The operation of the regulatorA is asfollows: The armature. 28 ofthe .electro-mag-l net M carries a contact 28 which is separated from the rotary contact'21 when the magnet 24'is sufficiently energized to attract its armature-28 Yagainst the tension of the retractile spring 29. The contacts 21 and 28- close'l the field circuit direct through the circuit heretofore described, thereby con necting the shunt field windings 16 directly with the mains 13 and 14. rllhe dynamo Y lnow builds up itsvoltage so to speak, e11- wires 40 and/38 to the main 14 and in shuntA from point 32 through the adjustable resistance 33 yoverwire 35 to point 36 and through coil'23 over wire 37 to the `negative main 14. rllhe currentpassing through coil v 23 magnetically opposes the effect of the current passing through coil 22, thereby weakening the strength of the magnet 24 causing retraction of the armature by the spring 29 v again establishing connection between contacts 21 and 28', and cutting out the resistance 30, 30 from the field windings. The insertion of the resistance in the ield windings causes the lowering of the electromotive force` of the dynamo and -re-` moving the resistance causes the converse effect. The rapidity with which this result is accomplished has further modifying effect upon undue rise of potential and the tendency toward excessive rise of potential tends toincrease the vrapidity and thus the difference of potential maybe maintained constant against e'ects that tend to cause its increase. Where a circuit is frequently interrupted l. have found it of great advantage to relatively rotate one of the convtactsto prevent sticking or freezing of the contacts together, and in a system, such as that illustrated, wherein current is produced for lighting and sparking an engine, to be used for automobile propulsion, for instance, it i's of great advantage to so arrange the parts that power for rotating 'oneof the contacts may be taken directly from the dynamo shaft, 'and that the Vibrating member be mounted on the dynamo `frame in close proximity to the rotating member. The speed of the dynamo shaft is, however, very much greater than that required for the rotating contact. I, therefore, have devised a means for transmitting the power to-the rotatable contact,'wherein the speed ratio may be as great as 2000 to 1, which I find sufficient for all practical purposes.

In the exemplification 42 is the dynamo shaft and 43 is the dynamo frame. A gear casing 44 is composed of two parts 45 and 46 secured together by screws 47. T he lcasing is circular in form except for the oE-set 48 wherein is contained a vertical shaft 49 upon which is fixed a worm wheel 50, as by a key 51. The shaft has bearing in the wall ofthe casing, as at 52, and a step bearing as at 53. The screws 47, that secure the two parts of the casing together, may also namo frame. A worm wheel, or annulus, 54, is ypreferably made of two parts and 56, the former annulus ,being preferably made of brass, and having a somewhat smaller bore to proyide a shoulder between it and the preferably steel annulus 56. The latter is provided .with internal gear teeth, as at 57. ll`he two parts have upon theirl exterior peripheral surfaces a continuous worm 59, that has drivingengagement with worm wheel 50. The wheel 54 lies in a bore in the part 48 ofthe casing, and it. is rotated therein by the mechanism now to be referred to. Lying. inside of the steel internal gear wheel part 56, and resting on the shoulder proteriorly geared wheel 60, counter-bored as at 61, and centrally perforated as at 62, to receive an eccentric 63 on the dynamo shaft 42. Inside of the counter-bore, and flush with the exterior surface of the wheel 60, lies a four arm spider or universal guide 64, having two relatively long arms, 65 and 60. The relatively short arms '69 and 70 lie between guidinglugs 71-71, which project from` the inner surface of the cover plate 46. The spider 64 moves freely inthe respective guides. 1t permits vertical and horizontal movement of the'wheel 60'withbe employed to secure the casing to the dyparts are united asby rivets 58, 'and bothl vided bythe brass wheel part v55,is an ex-v 66, that lie in the notches 67 and 68, respectively, provided in the flange of the wheel has been drivenone tooth, or lth part of a revolution at every revolution of the shaft,

or in other words, the reduction' in speed between the shaft and the outer worm gear :1+N. The speed rotation, between the worm wheel and the worm that is out on the peripheral surface of the outer gear :ls-N2.v

This brings the total reduction in speed to NXN,

InV the present exemplication the speed of the dynamo used for producing current for lighting andsparking an automobile and engine is' two thousand revolutions per minute while the rotary contact is turned one revolution ,per minute, which I have found in practice to be suiiicient. The vertical shaft 4 9 carriesupon its upper end an insulated'section 49 which carries upon its upper end an insulated annulus preferably of platinum, which is the rotated `contact member, to which current is conducted by contact brush 72, held in contact therewith by the springY 7 3. While I have l. The combination of a dynamo having y a longitudinal shaft,V a casing, reduction herein shown a single em. bodiment of my invention for purposes of gearing therein comprising a cam on the shaft, an annular member loose on the cam,

-a surrounding annular member co-acting one end of said vertical shaft cooperating with the Worm provided by said surrounding annular member, an electrical contact on the'other end of said vertical shaft for rotation thereby at greatly reduced speed, and suitable cooperating electrical contacts fo-r purposes described.

2. The combination of a dynamo having a longitudinal shaft, a casing, reduction gearing therein including a slowly rotating worm, a vertical shaft mounted in the casing, a co-acting worm wheel on one end' thereof, a contact on the other end rotatable by the dynamo at greatly reduced speed through the medium of said reduction gearing and worm, and coperating contacts vibratable into and out of electrical connection with said rotating Contact.

3. The combination with a dynamo having a shaft and a dynamo-energized circuit, a vibratable contact, means responsive to apredeterlnined condition in said dynamoenergized circuit to vibrate said contact, al vertical shaft, a rotatable contact on one end of said shaft, the other end extending down into horizontal alinement with said dynamo shaft, and connections between the other end and the dynamo shaft for rotation of the rotatable contact at a speed slower than but in proportion to the speed of the dynamo shaft.

In 'testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT G. APPLE. 

